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teri60
09-18-2008, 07:33 AM
Hi Everyone,
I've been stuttering as far back as I can remember and it has been tortuous for me until the last few years when I decided to fight for my rights at my places of employment. As with most of us using the phone is a troublesome thing and I do answer the phone at my jobs but in a way that it's comfortable to me and not how my employer wants me to do it. I also have always been upfront about my stuttering and tell people to put myself at ease because I can't stand the bewildered looks I used to get.
I wasn't always like this, I never used to make my own calls and sometimes I still once in awhile have my daughter make my calls, only because I'm lazy and it takes alot of effort. On the phone I spell my name because I don't like the feeling of my name not coming out and the silence that comes with it.
I am going to college right now but it's online because it would be too stressful for me to be with other people and having them ask my name and questions, so I just don't do it.
When I was younger and guy crazy, i used to wonder how it would feel to be able to call a boyfriend and have a fluent conversation. Even now I don't contact old friends, it would be too nerve wracking. I know I live in this unsociable bubble and don't really meet people, my speech impediment has caused me anxiety and has made me depressed so i take anxiety medication and anti-depressants and I can tell you taking medication does NOT change your speech. I know when I was younger, I used to drink to be able to carry on conversations but we get older and that gets old.
Sorry this is so long, oh I have one more odd story to tell, I enrolled in speech therapy and a speech therapy group and I didn't stutter not one time, no one could understand what i was doing there, it was embarrassing to not stutter..LOL

Jason
10-01-2008, 02:42 PM
Hello Teri,

Recently my stuttering has got worse, I used to answer all calls to my phone, recently I have found myself only picking up those from recognised numbers. My house phone which doesn't have call recognition is beginning to be a problem. I just moved house and activated the land line. Only 2 people have my house number yet I am called several times a day with people asking for the previous tennants. Saying 'You have the wrong number' is difficult of late. I even hung up on someone, they just called back and I was embarrassed lol.

I think the key to stuttering is putting yourself out there, even if you aren't really talkative, just being polite and getting out there helps me a lot. For example I went to a house party and only knew one person. When I left I knew 3 people and while I had been relatively quiet I felt all the better for going and putting myself in front of strangers.

As for college. I think you will be suprised how good peoples attitudes are nowadays, just be open about it and I doubt you will find many problems.